Method and apparatus for discovering and selecting network providing connectivity for provisioning user subscription data

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for discovering and selecting a network that provides connectivity for transmitting user subscription data is provided. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver and at least one processor configured to identify preconfigured first information comprising a first list, the first list comprising at least one identifier (ID) of at least one network group providing an initial access to a non-public network (NPN), receive, from at least one base station via the transceiver, second information comprising at least one second list, the at least one second list comprising at least one ID of at least one network group which is supported by the at least one base station and provides an initial access to the NPN, and select a network to be initially accessed from a network group corresponding to at least one ID included in the first list and the at least one second list, based on the first information and the second information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)of a Korean patent application number 10-2020-0061200, filed on May 21,2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to a communication system. More particularly, thedisclosure relates to a method and apparatus for selecting a networkthat provides network connectivity for a terminal to receivesubscription information in a non-public network (NPN).

2. Description of Related Art

To meet the soaring demands for wireless data traffic sincecommercialization of 4th Generation (4G) communication systems, effortshave been made to develop improved 5th Generation (5G) communicationsystems or pre-5G communication systems. For this reason, 5Gcommunication systems or pre-5G communication systems are also calledbeyond-4G-network communication systems or post-long term evolution(LTE) systems.

It is considered that the 5G communication system will be implemented inmillimeter wave (mm Wave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, so as to accomplishhigher data rates. In 5G communication systems, beamforming, massivemulti-input multi-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), anarray antenna, analog beamforming, and large-scale antenna technologieshave been discussed as ways of alleviating propagation path loss andincreasing propagation distances in ultra-high frequency bands.

For system network improvement, in 5G communication systems,technologies such as evolved small cell, advanced small cell, cloudradio access network (RAN), ultra-dense network, device-to-device (D2D)communication, wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperativecommunication, coordinated multi-points (CoMPs), and interferencecancellation have been developed.

In a 5G system, advanced coding modulation (ACM) schemes includinghybrid frequency-shift keying (FSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation(QAM) modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC),and advanced access schemes including filter bank multi carrier (FBMC),non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access(SCMA) have been developed.

In the 5G system, support for various services has been considered whencompared to existing 4G systems. For example, most representativeservices may include mobile ultra-wideband communication (enhancedmobile broadband (eMBB)) services, ultra-reliable and low-latencycommunication (URLLC) services, massive machine type communication(mMTC), next-generation broadcasting services (evolved multimediabroadcast/multicast services: eMBMS), etc. A system providing the URLLCservice may be referred to as an URLLC system, and a system providingthe eMBB service may be referred to as an eMBB system. The terms, theservice and the system, may be used interchangeably.

The URLLC service is a newly considered service in the 5G system unlikethe existing 4G system, and requires satisfaction with the conditions ofultra-reliability (e.g., a packet error rate of about 10⁻⁵) andlow-latency (e.g., about 0.5 msec) in comparison to other services. Tosatisfy such strict requirements, the URLLC service needs to apply atransmission time interval (TTI) shorter than the eMBB service andvarious operation schemes using the TTI have been considered.

The Internet, which is a human-oriented connectivity network wherehumans generate and consume information, is now evolving into theInternet of Things (IoT), where distributed entities, such as objects,exchange and process information. The Internet of Everything (IoE) hasalso emerged, which is a combination of IoT technology and Big Dataprocessing technology through connection with a cloud server, etc. Toimplement the IoT, various technological elements, such as sensingtechnology, wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure,service interface technology, and security technology, are required, andrecently technologies related to sensor networks for connecting objects,machine to machine (M2M), machine type communication (MTC), and so forthhave been researched.

Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology (IT)services that create new value in human life by collecting and analyzingdata generated among connected objects. IoT may be applied to a varietyof fields including smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smartcars or connected cars, smart grids, health care, smart appliances,advanced medical services, and so forth through convergence andcombination between existing IT and various industries.

Thus, various attempts have been made to apply 5G communication systemsto IoT networks. For example, 5G communication technology such as asensor network, M2M, MTC, etc., has been implemented by a scheme such asbeamforming, MIMO, array antennas, and so forth. The application ofcloud radio access network (RAN) as a Big Data processing technology mayalso be an example of the convergence of 5G technology and IoTtechnology.

As various services have been provided owing to the development ofmobile communication systems as described above, a scheme forefficiently using a non-public network (NPN) for providing such variousservices using a self-network in a place like a factory, a school, acompany, etc. is required. The NPN may be classified into a standaloneNPN (SNPN) and a public network integrated NPN (PNINPN).

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to providea method and apparatus for effectively providing a service by using anon-public network (NPN) in a wireless communication system.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method and apparatusfor efficiently selecting a network that is available to a terminal (oruser equipment) in an NPN system.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method and apparatusfor reducing consumption of a radio resource when a terminal (or userequipment) selects a network, in an NPN system.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a user equipment (UE) ina wireless communication system is provided. The UE includes atransceiver and at least one processor configured to identifypreconfigured first information including a first list, the first listincluding at least one identifier (ID) of at least one network groupproviding an initial access to a non-public network (NPN), receive, fromat least one base station via the transceiver, second informationincluding at least one second list, the at least one second listincluding at least one ID of at least one network group which issupported by the at least one base station and provides an initialaccess to the NPN, and select a network to be initially accessed from anetwork group corresponding to at least one ID included in the firstlist and the at least one second list, based on the first informationand the second information.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a base station in awireless communication system is provided. The base station includes atransceiver and at least one processor configured to transmit firstinformation including a list via the transceiver, the list including atleast one identifier (ID) of at least one network group which issupported by the base station and provides an initial access to anon-public network (NPN) and receive, from a user equipment (UE), viathe transceiver a request for connection to one network of a networkgroup corresponding to at least one ID included in the list.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method performedby a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided.The method includes identifying preconfigured first informationincluding a first list, the first list including at least one identifier(ID) of at least one network group providing an initial access to anon-public network (NPN), receiving, from at least one base station,second information including at least one second list, the at least onesecond list including at least one ID of at least one network groupwhich is supported by the at least one base station and provides aninitial access to the NPN, and selecting one network to be initiallyaccessed from a network group corresponding to at least one ID includedin the first list and the at least one second list, based on the firstinformation and the second information.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method performedby a base station in a wireless communication system is provided. Themethod includes transmitting first information including a list, thelist including at least one identifier (ID) of at least one networkgroup which is supported by the base station and provides an initialaccess to a non-public network (NPN) and receiving, from a userequipment (UE), a request for connection to one network of a networkgroup corresponding to at least one ID included in the list.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” aswell as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation, the term“or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or, the phrases “associated with” and“associated therewith, “as well as derivatives thereof, may mean toinclude, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be containedwithin, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with,cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to orwith, have, have a property of, or the like, and the term “controller”means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least oneoperation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware orsoftware, or some combination of at least two of the same.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of a 5th generation (5G) networkaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates entities for transmitting user subscription to aterminal (or user equipment (UE)) according to an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for onboarding a terminal (or userequipment) for the terminal to receive user subscription data accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a procedure for discovering and selecting astandalone non-public network (SNPN) for onboarding of a terminal (oruser equipment) when a plurality of onboarding SNPN networks existaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a procedure for discovering and selecting astandalone non-public network (SNPN) for onboarding of a terminal when aplurality of onboarding SNPN networks exist according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a structure of a user equipment (UE) according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a structure of a base station (a 5G-access network(AN)) according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method of discovering and selectinga network by a terminal, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of thedisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of thedisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

Herein, when embodiments of the disclosure are described, technicalmatters that are well known in a technical field of the disclosure andare not directly related to the disclosure will not be described. Byomitting an unnecessary description, the subject matter of thedisclosure will be more clearly described without being obscured.

For the same reasons, some elements will be exaggerated, omitted, orsimplified in the attached drawings. The size of each element does notentirely reflect the actual size of the element. In each drawing, anidentical or corresponding element will be referred to as an identicalreference numeral.

Advantages and features of the disclosure and a method for achievingthem will be apparent with reference to embodiments described belowtogether with the attached drawings. However, the disclosure is notlimited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be implemented in variousmanners, and the embodiments are provided to complete the disclosure ofthe disclosure and to allow those of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure is defined by thecategory of the claims. Throughout the specification, an identicalreference numeral will indicate an identical element.

Meanwhile, it is known to those of ordinary skill in the art that blocksof a flowchart and a combination of flowcharts may be represented andexecuted by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may also be stored in a general-purpose computer, aspecial-purpose computer, or a processor of other programmable dataprocessing devices, such that the instructions implemented by thecomputer or the processor of the programmable data processing deviceproduce a means for performing functions specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer programinstructions may also be stored in a computer usable orcomputer-readable memory that may direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer usable orcomputer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture includinginstructions that implement the function specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructionsmay also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions that execute thecomputer or other programmable apparatus may provide operations forimplementing the functions specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

In addition, each block represents a module, segment, or portion ofcode, which includes one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat in other implementations, the function(s) noted in the blocks mayoccur out of the order indicated. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on thefunctionality involved.

In the current embodiment, the term ‘˜unit’, as used herein, denotes asoftware or hardware component, such as a field programmable gate array(FPGA) or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which performscertain tasks. However, the meaning of ‘˜unit’ is not limited tosoftware or hardware. For example, ‘˜unit’ may advantageously beconfigured to reside on the addressable storage medium and configured toreproduce one or more processors. Thus, a unit may include, by way ofexample, components, such as software components, object-orientedsoftware components, class components and task components, processes,functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of programcode, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, datastructures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality providedfor in the components and ‘˜unit(s)’ may be combined into fewercomponents and ‘˜unit(s)’ or further separated into additionalcomponents and ‘˜unit(s)’. In addition, components and ‘˜unit(s)’ may beimplemented to execute one or more CPUs in a device or a securemultimedia card.

Hereinbelow, the base station is an entity that performs resourceassignment of the terminal, and may be at least one of Node B, a basestation (BS), an evolved Node B (eNode B), gNode B (gNB), Node B, awireless access unit, a base station controller, or a node on a network.The terminal may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), acellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, or a multimedia system capableof performing communication functions. In addition, embodiments of thedisclosure may be applied to other communication systems having atechnical background or channel form that is similar to the embodimentsof the disclosure described below. Also, the embodiments of thedisclosure may also be applied to other communication systems throughsome modifications within a range that does not largely depart from thescope of the disclosure based on determination of a skilled person.

As used in the following description, a term for identifying an accessnode, terms referring to network entities or network functions (NFs),terms referring to messages, a term referring to an interface betweennetwork objects, and terms referring to various identificationinformation are illustrated for convenience of explanation. Therefore,the disclosure is not limited by the following terms, and other termsindicating targets having equivalent technical meanings may be used.

Hereinbelow, for convenience of a description, the disclosure may employterms and names defined in the 3rd-Generation Partnership Project LongTerm Evolution (3GPP LTE) standards and/or 3GPP New Radio (NR)standards. However, the disclosure is not limited by such terms andnames, and may be equally applied to systems complying with otherstandards.

Embodiments of the disclosure disclose a scheme to reinforce sessioncontinuity of a terminal by providing a notification to a newapplication function (AF) in charge of a changed local data network(DN), i.e., a target AF, when a data network access identifier (DNAI) ischanged due to occurrence of user plane function (UPF) relocation basedon terminal movement and the local DN of the changed DNAI is changed.Hereinafter, the embodiments of the disclosure will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of a 5G network according to anembodiment of the disclosure. A network entity or network nodesconstituting a 5G network will be described as below.

A (radio (R)) access network (AN) 101 is an entity that performs radioresource assignment of the terminal (or user equipment), and may be atleast one of eNode B, gNode B, Node B, a BS, a next-generation radioaccess network (NG-RAN), a 5G-AN, a wireless access unit, a base stationcontroller, or a node on a network. The terminal may be at least one ofa UE, an NG UE, an MS, a cellular phone, a smartphone, or a computer.The terminal may include a multimedia system capable of performingcommunication functions. While embodiments of the disclosure aredescribed by using a 5G system as an example, the embodiments of thedisclosure may also be applied to other communication systems having asimilar technical background. Also, the embodiments of the disclosuremay also be applied to other communication systems through somemodifications within a range that does not largely depart from the scopeof the disclosure based on determination of a skilled person.

As a wireless communication system evolves from a 4G system to a 5Gsystem, a new core network, an NG core or a 5G core (5GC) network, willbe defined. The new core network virtualizes existing network entities(NEs) to form a network function (NF).

According to embodiments of the disclosure, an NF may mean a networkentity, a network component, and a network resource.

Referring to FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, a 5GCmay include NFs. The 5GC is not limited to the illustration of FIG. 1,and may also include NFs that are more or less than the NFs illustratedin FIG. 1.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an access and mobilitymanagement function (AMF) 109 may be a network function that managesmobility of the terminal (or user equipment).

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a session managementfunction (SMF) 111 may be a network function that manages packet datanetwork (PDN) connection provided to the terminal. Herein, PDNconnection may be referred to as a protocol data unit (PDU) session.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a policy control function(PCF) 121 may be a network function that applies a service policy, acharging policy, and a PDU session policy of a mobile network operatorfor the terminal.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, unified data management(UDM) 123 may be a network function that stores information for asubscriber.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an application function(AF) 125 may be an application function managed by a terminalmanufacturer, a service provider, or a public land mobile network (PLMN)operator. However, the AF 125 may also mean other application functionsin charge of a radio capability and a radio capability ID as well as theapplication function managed by the terminal manufacturer.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a service communicationproxy (SCP) 113 may relay communication with an appropriate NF to NFs byserving as a proxy server in delivery of a 5G core service. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, a network exposure function (NEF) 117may be a function that provides information about the terminal to aserver outside a 5G network. The NEF may provide information requiredfor a service to the 5G network to store the information in a unifieddata repository (UDR).

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a user plane function(UPF) 103 may serve as a gateway that delivers a PDU to a DN.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a network repositoryfunction (NRF) 119 may function to discover an NF.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an authentication serverfunction (AUSF) 107 may perform authentication with respect to aterminal on a 3GPP access network and a non-3GPP access network,

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a network slice selectionfunction (NSSF) 115 may perform a function of selecting a network sliceinstance provided to the terminal.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a DN 105 may be a datanetwork through which the terminal transmits or receives data to use aservice of a network operator or a service of a 3rd party.

FIG. 2 illustrates entities for transmitting user subscription to aterminal (or user equipment) according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, a user equipment (UE) 200 may not have subscriberinformation or user subscription data. The UE is assumed to have defaultLIE credentials assigned by a default credential server (DCS). Inaddition, the DCS may assign a unique LIE identifier separatelyconfigured to identify the UE 200 to the UE 200. The UE 200 may beseparately or simultaneously set to a PLMN network selection mode usinga general network or an NPN network selection mode using an NPN,depending on network selection mode setting.

An onboarding standalone non-public network (O-SNPN) 800 may provideuser plane (UP)-based Internet protocol (IP) connectivity (UEOnboarding) or control plane (CP)-based non-access stratum (NAS)connectivity to a UE having no subscriber information or usersubscription data to allow the UE to download the user subscriptiondata. Onboarding may mean that a device initially accesses to a network.

To determine whether to provide a UE onboarding service to the UE, a DCSmay be requested to perform authentication for the UE.

A default credential server (DCS) 600 may pre-configure a default UEcredential and a unique UE identifier for the UE 200 and store relatedinformation. The DCS 600 may be requested from the O-SNPN network 800 toperform authentication on the UE 200 when performing UE registration foronboarding. This authentication may be performed using a default UEcredential. To determine whether the UE 200 is authorized to receiveuser subscription data when a provisioning server (PS) 500 transmits theuser subscription data to the UE 200, the DCS 600 may be requested toperform authentication/authorization on the UE 200 from the PS 500. TheDCS 600 may be a manufacturer of the UE 200 or a 3rd party related tothe manufacturer or an SNPN operator.

The PS 500 may receive the user subscription data such as networkcredential and user configuration information from a network operatorand transmits the received user subscription data to the UE 200. The PS500 may exist as one server together with the DCS 600 and an ownershipthereof may be a manufacturer of the UE 200 or a 3rd party related tothe manufacturer or an SNPN operator like the DCS 600.Authentication/authorization with respect to the UE may be performedthrough communication with the DCS 600.

An SNPN network 700 owning the user subscription data may transmit theuser subscription data to the UE 200 through the PS server 500. Thisnetwork operator may have in advance identifier information of UEs thatare to provide the user subscription data.

FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for onboarding a UE for the UE to receivethe user subscription data according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, a wireless communication system that executes a UEonboarding procedure may include a UE 200, a 5G-AN 300, a 5GC network400, a PS 500, a DCS 600, and an SNPN network 700.

Herein, the 5G-AN 300 may perform radio resource assignment of the UE200 and transmit system information to the UE 200. The 5GC network 400may be implemented as an SNPN, and the SNPN network 700 may beimplemented as a network (NPN or PLMN) owning the user subscriberinformation (network credential and configuration information).

At operation 1, the UE 200 may pre-configure a default UE credential anda unique UE ID assigned from the DCS 600. The UE 200 may include thefollowing initial default configuration; a PLMN ID, a networkinformation function (NIF) of the SNPN, a single network slice selectionassistance information (S-NSSAI), a data network name (DNN), etc. Inthis case, the default UE credential may be configured by the UE 200,but the network credential may not be configured and may be provided tothe UE 200 for the onboarding procedure.

The UE 200 may pre-configure a list of SNPN IDs including identifies ofSNPN operators (SNPN IDs) contracting to provide onboarding with amanufacturer to select a network for providing onboarding. The SNPN IDmay be configured in the form of PLMN ID+NID. Alternatively, the UE 200may preconfigure a DCS group ID that is a group ID of the SNPN operatorscontracting to provide an onboarding service. The DCS group may be agroup formed by prior agreement between the SNPN operators. The DCSgroup may be a group classified according to related types of businessof SNPN operators or DCS server-owning operators. The DCS group ID mayinclude a PLMN ID and an NID in the form of an SNPN ID, and may includeat least one of location information, geographical information, ornational code information (a mobile country code (MCC) or a mobilenetwork code (MNC)). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the list ofSNPN IDs or DCS GROUP IDs preconfigured in the UE 200 may be updated bythe SNPN network.

At operation 2, the UE 200 may discover and select an O-SNPN networkbased on received broadcast system information. The UE 200 may transmita unique UE identity and a default UE credential to the SNPN networkbecause of absence of user subscription data regarding the SNPN network,in a network selection operation. The UE 200 may transmit informationsuch as an application identifier or a service provider identifier.

At operation 2B, the 5G-AN 300 and the 5GC network 400 may transmit theunique LIE identity and the default LIE credential of the UE 200 to theDCS 600 that manages the UE 200 to request authentication regardingwhether the UE is accessible to the network for onboarding. Suchauthentication may be performed by selecting one of primaryauthentication or network slice specific authentication andauthorization (NSSAA).

At operation 3, the UE 200 may generate a configuration PDU session.This PDU session may be generated using well-known or preconfiguredS-NSSAI/DNN or S-NSSAI/DNN information received from the DCS 600. TheAMF may select an SMF designated for this end and the SMF may alsoselect a designated PDU session anchor (PSA) UPF.

At operation 4A, information preconfigured in the UE may be used in anapplication level or the PS 500 may be discovered through an applicationidentifier or a service provider identifier. The PS 500 may transmit theunique LIE identifier and the default LIE credential of the UE to theDCS 600 to authenticate the UE 200.

At operation 4B, the PS 500 may request and receive, from the SNPNnetwork 700, not only network credentials for the future SNPN owning thesubscription, but also user subscription data or other UE configurationparameters (e.g., PDU session parameters, such as S-NSSAI, DNN, URSPs,QoS rules, and other required parameters to access the SNPN andestablish a regular PDU session).

At operation 4C, the PS 500 may transmit data received from the SNPNnetwork 700 at operation 4B to the UE 200.

At operation 5, when the UE 200 successfully receives data at operation4C, the UE 200 may disconnect a configuration PDU session of theonboarding network and perform deregistration.

At operation 6, the UE 200 may be registered in the serving network byusing the received user subscription data to receive a network service.The onboarding network and the serving network may be the same as ordifferent from each other.

FIG. 4 illustrates a procedure for discovering and selecting an SNPNnetwork for onboarding of a UE when a plurality of onboarding SNPNnetworks exist according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, at operation 1, a UE 200 may pre-configure adefault UE credential and a unique UE ID assigned from a DCS 600. The UE200 may include the following initial default configuration; a PLMN ID,an NIF of the SNPN, an S-NSSAI, a DNN, etc.

In this case, the default UE credential may be configured by the UE 200,but the network credential may not be configured and may be provided tothe UE 200 as a for the onboarding procedure.

The UE 200 may pre-configure a list of SNPN IDs including identifies ofSNPN operators (SNPN IDs) contracting to provide onboarding with amanufacturer to select a network for providing onboarding. The SNPN IDmay be configured in the form of PLMN ID+NID. Alternatively, the UE 200may preconfigure a list of DCS group IDs including a DCS group ID thatis a group ID of SNPN operators contracting to provide the onboardingservice or a plurality of DCS group IDs. The DCS group may be a groupformed by prior agreement between the SNPN operators. The DCS group maybe a group classified according to related types of business of SNPNoperators or DCS server-owning operators. The DCS group ID may include aPLMN ID and an NID like an SNPN ID, and at least one of locationinformation, geographical information, or national information (MCC orMNC). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the list of SNPN IDs or DCSgroup IDs preconfigured in the UE 200 may be updated by the SNPNnetwork.

At operation A, the UE 200 may operate in an SNPN access mode to performnetwork selection. This is because the DCS group ID may have a form likethe SNPN ID. When the DCS group ID has another form, the UE 200 mayselect an access mode that is different from the SNPN access mode.

At operation 2, in an embodiment shown in the current drawing, the 5G-AN300 and the 5GC network 400 may broadcast not only its SNPN ID, but alsoa DCS group ID of a DCS group to which they belong, through broadcastsystem information. In the embodiment shown in the current drawing, SNPN#1 includes DCS group ID #2 preconfigured in the UE 200, such that theUE 200 may select SNPN #1 as an onboarding network.

At operation 3, the UE 200 may perform initial access for registrationin the selected SNPN.

Thereafter, operations following operation 3B may be performed likeoperations of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a procedure for discovering and selecting an SNPNnetwork for onboarding of a UE when a plurality of onboarding SNPNnetworks exist according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, at operation 1, a UE 200 may be pre-configured adefault LIE credential and a unique LIE ID assigned from a DCS 600. TheUE 200 may include the following initial default configuration; a PLMNID, an NIF of the SNPN, an S-NSSAI, a DNN, etc. In this case, thedefault UE credential may be configured by the UE 200, but the networkcredential may not be configured and may be provided to the UE 200 forthe onboarding procedure.

The UE 200 may pre-configure a list of SNPN IDs including identifies ofSNPN operators (SNPN IDs) contracting to provide onboarding with amanufacturer to select a network for providing onboarding. The SNPN IDmay be configured in the form of PLMN ID+NID. Alternatively, the UE 200may preconfigure a list of DCS group IDs including a DCS group ID thatis a group ID of SNPN operators contracting to provide the onboardingservice or a plurality of DCS group IDs. The DCS group may be a groupformed by prior agreement between the SNPN operators. The DCS group maybe a group classified according to related types of business of SNPNoperators or DCS-owning operators. The DCS group ID may include a PLMNID and an NID in the form of an SNPN ID, and may include at least one oflocation information, geographical information, or national codeinformation (a mobile country code (MCC) or a mobile network code(MNC)). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the list of SNPN IDs or DCSGROUP IDs preconfigured in the UE 200 may be updated by the SNPNnetwork. In an embodiment illustrated in the current drawing, the UE 200may preconfigure DCS group ID #2.

At operation A, the UE 200 may operate in an onboarding mode to performnetwork selection. This is intended to receive and identify anonboarding indication from the SNPN network and to request a DCS groupID list. The onboarding indication may be information for indicatingwhether a base station supports network onboarding.

At operation 2, in an embodiment shown in the current drawing, the 5G-AN300 and the 5GC network 400 may broadcast its SNPN ID and the onboardingindication indicating whether onboarding is supported, through broadcastsystem information. In an embodiment shown in the current drawing, the5G-AN 300 and the 5GC network 400 may broadcast an onboarding indicationindicating SNPN #1 and SNPN #2 support onboarding, through the broadcastsystem information.

At operation 3, the UE 200 performing network selection in theonboarding mode may request, through a system information requestmessage, a list of DCS group IDs supported by the SNPN network from SNPNnetworks (SNPN #1 and SNPN #2) supporting onboarding based on thereceived onboarding indication.

At operation 4, each of SNPN #1 and SNPN #2 having received the systeminformation request may transmit a DCS group ID supported by each SNPNor a list of DCS group IDs to the UE 200 through a system informationmessage.

The UE 200 may identify a DCS group ID supported by an SNPN network fromthe received system information message and select one SNPN networkincluding a DCS group ID preconfigured in the UE 200. When there are aplurality of SNPN networks including a DCS group ID preconfigured in theUE 200, the UE 200 may select an SNPN network based on priorityinformation. The priority information may be preconfigured in the UE200, and the UE may reflect and configure information included in areceived signal.

In an embodiment of the current drawing, at operation 5, the UE 200 mayperform initial access for registration in the selected SNPN #1.

Thereafter, operation 5B and operations following operation 5B may beperformed like operations of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a view for describing a structure of a UE according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

The UE 200 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5 maycorrespond to the UE 200 of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 6, a UE 200 may include a transceiver 210, a memory220, and a processor 230. According to the above-described communicationmethod of the UE 200, the transceiver 210, the processor 230, and thememory 220 of the UE 200 may operate. However, components of the UE 200are not limited to the above-described example. For example, the UE 200may include components that are more than or less than theabove-described components. Moreover, the transceiver 210, the processor230, and the memory 220 may be implemented in a single chip form. Theprocessor 230 may include one or more processors.

The transceiver 210 may collectively refer to a receiver and atransmitter of the UE 200, and may transmit and receive a signal to andfrom a base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300), an NF, the PS 500, the DCS600, or other UEs. The signal transmitted and received to and from thebase station, the NF, the PS, the DCS, or other UEs may include controlinformation and data. To this end, the transceiver 210 may include an RFtransmitter that up-converts and amplifies a frequency of a transmissionsignal and an RF signal that low-noise-amplifies a received signal anddown-converts a frequency. However, this is merely an example of thetransceiver 210, components of which are not limited to the RFtransmitter and the RF receiver.

The transceiver 210 may receive a signal through a radio channel andoutput the received signal to the processor 230, and transmit a signaloutput from the processor 230 through the radio channel.

The memory 220 may store programs and data required for an operation ofthe terminal. The memory 220 may also store control information or dataincluded in a signal obtained by the terminal. The memory 220 mayinclude a storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), random accessmemory (RAM), hard-disk, compact disc (CD)-ROM, digital versatile disk(DVD), etc., or a combination thereof. The memory 220 may not existseparately, and may be included in the processor 230.

The processor 230 may control a series of processes such that the UEoperates according to the above-described embodiment of the disclosure.For example, the processor 230 may receive a control signal and a datasignal through the transceiver 210 and process the received controlsignal and data signal. The processor 230 may transmit the processedcontrol signal and data signal through the transceiver 210. Theprocessor 230 may be provided in plural and may perform an operation ofcontrolling components of the UE 200 by executing a program stored inthe memory 220. The processor 230 may control the transceiver 210 andthe memory 220 to operate according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a view for describing a structure of a base station (5G-AN)according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Operations of each of the SNPN network, the network entities, or the NFsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5 may be performed through abase station of FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 7, a base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300) may include atransceiver 310, a memory 320, and a processor 330. According to theabove-described communication method of the base station (e.g., the5G-AN 300), the transceiver 310, the processor 330, and the memory 320of the base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300) may operate. However,components of the base station are not limited to the above-describedexample. For example, the base station may include components that aremore than or less than the above-described components. Moreover, thetransceiver 310, the processor 330, and the memory 320 may beimplemented in a single chip form. The processor 330 may include one ormore processors.

The transceiver 310 may collectively refer to a receiver and atransmitter of the base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300), and may transmitand receive a signal to and from an NF, the PS 500, the DCS 600, the UE200, or other base stations. The signal transmitted and received to andfrom the NF, the PS 500, the DCS 600, the UE 200, or other base stationsmay include control information and data. To this end, the transceiver310 may include an RF transmitter that up-converts and amplifies afrequency of a transmission signal and an RF signal thatlow-noise-amplifies a received signal and down-converts a frequency.However, this is merely an example of the transceiver 310, components ofwhich are not limited to the RF transmitter and the RF receiver.

The transceiver 310 may receive a signal through a radio channel andoutput the received signal to the processor 330, and transmit a signaloutput from the processor 330 through the radio channel.

The memory 320 may store programs and data required for an operation ofthe base station. The memory 320 may also store control information ordata included in a signal obtained by the base station. The memory 320may include a storage medium such as read-only memory (ROM), randomaccess memory (RAM), hard-disk, compact disc (CD)-ROM, digital versatiledisk (DVD), etc., or a combination thereof. The memory 320 may not existseparately, and may be included in the processor 330.

The processor 330 may control a series of processes such that the basestation operates according to the above-described embodiment of thedisclosure. For example, the processor 330 may receive a control signaland a data signal through the transceiver 310 and process the receivedcontrol signal and data signal. The processor 330 may transmit theprocessed control signal and data signal through the transceiver 310.The processor 330 may be provided in plural and may perform an operationof controlling components of the base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300) byexecuting a program stored in the memory 320.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 330 maybroadcast its SNPN ID, but also a DCS group ID of a DCS group to whichthe processor 330 belongs through broadcast system information andreceive an initial access request for SNPN registration from the UE 200.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 330 maybroadcast its SNPN ID and an onboarding indication indicating whetheronboarding is supported through the broadcast system information,receive a system information request message transmitted through theonboarding indication received by the UE 200 performing networkselection, and transmit a DCS group ID supported by a network to whichthe processor 330 belongs or a list of DCS group IDs to the UE 200through the system information message in response to the systeminformation request.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method of discovering and selectinga network by a UE according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8, at operation 802, a UE may perform configurationfor an access mode. The access mode may be the PLMN access mode or theSNPN access mode. At operation 804, the UE 200 may receive systeminformation from the base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300). The systeminformation may include any one of a PLMN ID or a DCS group ID. Atoperation 806, the UE 200 having received the system information maydetermine the base station (e.g., the 5G-AN 300) based on informationpreconfigured in the UE 200. The preconfigured information may includeat least one of a PLMN ID, a DCS group ID, a list of DCS group IDs, oran initial default configuration. At operation 808, the UE 200 mayperform network connection through the determined base station (e.g.,the 5G-AN 300).

The methods according to the embodiments of the disclosure described inthe claims or specification of the disclosure may be implemented byhardware, software, or a combination thereof.

When the methods are implemented by software, a computer-readablestorage medium having stored therein one or more programs (softwaremodules) may be provided. The one or more programs stored in thecomputer-readable storage medium may be configured for execution by oneor more processors in an electronic device. The one or more programsinclude instructions that cause the electronic device to execute themethods according to the embodiments described in the claims or thespecification of the disclosure.

These programs (software modules and software) may be stored in RAMs,non-volatile memories including flash memories, ROMs, electricallyerasable programmable ROMs (EEPROMs), magnetic disc storage devices,CD-ROMs, DVDs, other types of optical storage devices, or magneticcassettes. The programs may be stored in a memory configured by acombination of some or all of such storage devices. Also, each memorymay be provided in plurality.

The programs may be stored to an attachable storage device of theelectronic device accessible via the communication network such asInternet, Intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN),or storage area network (SAN), or a communication network by combiningthe networks. The storage device may access a device performing theembodiment of the disclosure through an external port. Furthermore, aseparate storage device in a communication network may access a deviceperforming the embodiment of the disclosure.

In the detailed embodiments of the disclosure, components included inthe disclosure have been expressed as singular or plural according tothe provided detailed embodiment of the disclosure. However, singular orplural expressions have been selected properly for a condition providedfor convenience of a description, and the disclosure is not limited tosingular or plural components and components expressed as plural may beconfigured as a single component or a component expressed as singularmay also be configured as plural components.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tovarious embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

Further, the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced incombination. For example, a base station and a UE may be managed bycombining a part of an embodiment of the disclosure with a part ofanother embodiment of the disclosure. In addition, embodiments of thedisclosure are also applicable to other communication systems, and othermodifications based on the technical spirit of the embodiments may alsobe carried out in other communication systems.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communicationsystem, the UE comprising: a transceiver; and at least one processorconfigured to: identify preconfigured first information comprising afirst list, the first list comprising at least one identifier (ID) of atleast one network group providing an initial access to a non-publicnetwork (NPN), receive, from at least one base station via thetransceiver, second information comprising at least one second list, theat least one second list comprising at least one ID of at least onenetwork group which is supported by the at least one base station andprovides the initial access to the NPN, and based on the firstinformation and the second information, select a network to be initiallyaccessed from a network group corresponding to the at least one IDincluded in the first list and the at least one ID included in the atleast one second list.
 2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the secondinformation further comprises an ID of a network related to the at leastone base station.
 3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the second informationfurther comprises information indicating that the at least one basestation supports the initial access to the NPN.
 4. The UE of claim 1,wherein credential information of the UE is preconfigured.
 5. The UE ofclaim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:transmit, to a provisioning server (PS) over the selected network viathe transceiver, the credential information of the UE, and receive, fromthe PS via the transceiver, data.
 6. A base station in a wirelesscommunication system, the base station comprising: a transceiver; and atleast one processor configured to: transmit, via the transceiver, firstinformation comprising a list, the list comprising at least oneidentifier (ID) of at least one network group which is supported by thebase station and provides an initial access to a non-public network(NPN), and receive, from a user equipment (UE) via the transceiver, arequest for connection to one network of a network group correspondingto the at least one ID included in the list.
 7. The base station ofclaim 6, wherein the first information further comprises an ID of anetwork related to the base station.
 8. The base station of claim 6,wherein the first information further comprises second informationindicating that the base station supports the initial access to the NPN.9. The base station of claim 6, wherein the one network is included in anetwork group corresponding to the at least one ID of at least onenetwork group preconfigured in the UE.
 10. The base station of claim 6,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive,from the UE via the transceiver, credential information of the UE,transmit, to a provisioning server (PS) via the transceiver, thereceived credential information, receive, from the PS via thetransceiver, data, and transmit, to the UE via the transceiver, thereceived data.
 11. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in awireless communication system, the method comprising: identifyingpreconfigured first information comprising a first list, the first listcomprising at least one identifier (ID) of at least one network groupproviding an initial access to a non-public network (NPN); receiving,from at least one base station, second information comprising at leastone second list, the at least one second list comprising at least one IDof at least one network group which is supported by the at least onebase station and provides the initial access to the NPN; and based onthe first information and the second information, selecting one networkto be initially accessed from a network group corresponding to the atleast one ID included in the first list and the at least one ID includedin the at least one second list.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thesecond information further comprises an ID of a network related to theat least one base station.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein thesecond information further comprises information indicating that the atleast one base station supports the initial access to the NPN.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, wherein credential information of the UE ispreconfigured.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:transmitting, to a provisioning server (PS) over the selected onenetwork, the credential information of the UE; and receiving data fromthe PS.
 16. A method performed by a base station in a wirelesscommunication system, the method comprising: transmitting firstinformation comprising a list, the list comprising at least oneidentifier (ID) of at least one network group which is supported by thebase station and provides an initial access to a non-public network(NPN); and receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a request forconnection to one network of a network group corresponding to the atleast one ID included in the list.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinthe first information further comprises an ID of a network related tothe base station.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the firstinformation further comprises second information indicating that thebase station supports the initial access to the NPN.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the one network is included in a network groupcorresponding to at least one ID of at least one network grouppreconfigured in the UE.
 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:receiving, from the UE, credential information of the UE; transmitting,to a provisioning server (PS), the received credential information;receiving data from the PS; and transmitting, to the UE, the receiveddata.